By Kingsley Chukwuka
President of Nigerian Association of Women Entrepreneurs (NAWE), Barr. Vera Ndanusa has called on the Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Dr. Dikko Radda, to partner with NAWE to help increase women participation in the Agricultural sector.
Ndanusa said with the partnership, women in agripreneurs’ will be exposed to relevant trainings on different aspects of the agricultural value chain.
The NAWE boss stated this recently, during a courtesy call paid to the SMEDAN Director General in Abuja.
She said with the partnership, mentorship and access to loans will be facilitated to help women scale through in business.
Speaking further, she said: “We believe that communities cannot thrive if they cannot offer a future to women, hence our drive to help women access economic opportunities.
“SMEDAN investment in the development of women agripreneurs will demonstrate it’s commitment to helping them acquire the skills they need to find jobs or create their own businesses”, Ndanusa said.
Responding, SMEDAN DG, Radda, said the Agency will continue to partner with NAWE, haven recognize the association as one of the most active women organisations in Nigeria.
Radda promised that SMEDAN will provide training for NAWE women in the 36 States of the federation and the FCT, but require all NAWE State Directors to reach out to SMEDAN Managers in their respective States to have regular conversation and communicate their needs, saying it will help the Agency to identify the problems of women entrepreneurs in the States and take action.
Our correspondent reports that SMEDAN was established by the SMEDAN Act of 2003 to promote the development of the MSME sector of the Nigeria Economy. The Agency positions itself as a One Stop Shop for MSME Development. Micro Enterprises are included in the clientele of the Agency since they form the bedrock for SME’s